Hit 200 custom cabinet doors in one weekend and it broke my brain a little

I took on a kitchen remodel that needed 200 doors with shaker profiles, all finished and installed by Monday. My old workflow would have taken me two weeks easy, but I pushed myself to batch every step from cutting to sanding to assembly. By Sunday night I was running on coffee and spite, but I got them all done and the client was thrilled. The debate I keep having with myself is whether this kind of speed matters for quality or if I'm just setting bad expectations for myself. Do you guys aim for a certain number of doors per day, or do you just let the work take what it takes? I'm curious how other carpenters balance speed with not burning out.

2 comments

2 Comments

amy15414d ago

Were you still happy with the final quality after moving that fast?

margaret9914d ago

Nah I gotta push back on that whole idea that speed is the enemy of quality. You banged out 200 doors in a weekend and the client loved them, that says something. The real question is whether you can keep doing that without hating your life or cutting corners you can't see yet. I've been doing this long enough to know that batching is smart, but pushing yourself to the point of running on coffee and spite isn't sustainable. You're not setting bad expectations for yourself, you're learning your limits. The problem comes when you think that level of grind is the new normal. Take the win, take a day off, then figure out a pace that doesn't make you question your sanity.